News

BREAKING: Blow To Town Centre Overhaul Plans

Thursday December 8 2011

BARNSLEY'S plans to overhaul the town centre were dealt a blow today when it emerged the government does not plan to hand over a chunk of land at the centre of the scheme.

The scheme is expected to create over 1,300 retail jobs with a new indoor and outdoor market, a major department store, six screen cinema, improved public realm and 800 car parking spaces.

But - it emerged today - the Yorkshire Forward owned land that the council had hoped to acquire to help attract developers, has been passed out of their hands.

The Yorkshire Forward assets - which include a huge chunk of land where CEAG and the Carpet World site sit -will not be transferred to the council, as they had hoped, but will instead go to the Housing and Communities Agency.

The move has prompted fury amongst senior councillors - especially as it emerged that Sheffield had been told they may keep their Yorkshire Forward assets.

Deputy council leader Jim Andrews said: "I don't understand why they can justify giving the assets to Sheffield but not to Barnsley. It's absolutely not fair. I don't know what can be done now - we are going to have to look at it but if they are giving to to one and not the other, then there may be a case for a judicial review there."

Michael Dugher, the MP for Barnsley East, said the land was needed by Barnsley for development under the markets project. He said he is worried there will be a government 'fire sale' instead.

He added: "This is a real betrayal of Barnsley. Sheffield will be able to keep the Yorkshire Forward assets, but other areas will not be given the same opportunities because they are not regarded as core cities by this out-of-touch Government.

"We are not asking for a hand-out here, we are just asking for the Government to unlock these assets which could give us huge potential to boost local private and public sector jobs.”

A Barnsley Council spokesman said the council had been in the course of acquiring the assets from Yorkshire Forward - but that while Sheffield got their land for free, Barnsley was going to have to BUY its land back.

He added: "We are awaiting formal confirmation through the HCA's approval processes of the sale of the assets to the council, which we expect to be completed in the near future. This is an important milestone in moving forward to find an investor in the New Year to enable the Barnsley Markets Project to proceed to a conclusion."

TTypical government. They complain that the unemployment rate is the highest it's ever been yet when the opportunity to create jobs comes up they do nothing.
The country is going to the dogs. Why won't the government listen to the people they claim to serve.

This government has plundered our savings, they have plundered our pensions and now they are plundering the land. They are robbing Peter to pay Paul and then claiming that this is for our benefit. Years gone by, they never ever objected to getting billions of £'s in tax revenue from our mine working heritage, and NOW is the time to pay it back to us by building our town to a standard where we can be proud, however, NO, this government has STOLEN our investment and put it into a government that has no confidence, no vision and certainly no morals. I am DISGUSTED with this HALF-HEARTED BACKSTABBING GOVERNMENT. Call that ELECTION NOW!

This just shows the utter contempt that the government has for people in small working class towns up and down the country. The way yorkshire forward was ran in the labour years was a sham of wasted money and poor planning. And now the one good thing that may have come out of the surviving assets being allocated to their respective towns has been kyboshed. It was after all OUR money that has been spent so in effect WE OWN the land and assets. It is an absolute disgrace. One hit after another for this town. Forget having a market everyone, we are already too late, and by the time we get one it will be a cut down shadow of the original plan, there won't be any traders left.
I would love to know where the money from any sales end up being spent.
Honestly the amount of fire sales that are going on at the moment is only ensuring that anyone with any buying power at the moment is buying up land and assets for a fraction of the price. Keep the plebs down, its the tory way. There is no red labour party in this country, there is no blue tory party or yellow lib dems, There is however 3 parties with a mixture of red, blue and yellow colours which makes all three a shitty brown colour. And these are the people who lead us. Guy Fawkes we need you now.

forget job centre, there won't be any jobs. Just call it centre and have large cattle runs to file people through for their giros. That will be the next thing to go, then social housing, then nhs soon we will revert to serfdom.

People sound surprised that once again, the Government of this country, have bent us over and violated us once again.
It's a Conservative Government, the Liberals-Democrats are merely pawns in the Tory destruction of those areas that had the audacity to stand up and protest against the Iron Maiden, almost thirty years ago.
This womans legacy of destruction, will surround and continue to undermine every good effort of our council for years and years to come, high-unemployment, minimum wages and low grade public services is how this Garbage Government sees Barnsley, Wakefield, Rotherham, etc.
Just remember though folks, some of you voted this shower of shite in, how guilty are you feeling now.
Under the Tories the old saying used to be ,'the rich get richer, the poorer get poorer' well everybody's getting poorer now, we'll just have to live with it until the next General Election, but wait they'll dangle that tiny, tiny carrot and they'll all fall for it and we'll have them for another term, then you'd best get ready, just wait and see!!!

The only reason Sheffield are treated differently is to keep Clegg happy! Do people expect anything else from a Tory government who tried to kill it of in the 80s well this is them coming back for more!